If you are one of those who thinks that a low budget is something definitely bad for food, we have good news: sometimes working with less can help you eat better.
It is possible to eat well without certain foods, especially those to which we are more accustomed, but which do not give us much when it comes to nutrition.
In this sense, a low budget can result in us eliminating unnecessary processed foods and focusing on nutrients with greater impact. The real problem comes when it comes to choosing: How do you buy the right food on a low budget?
So that you can decide correctly, covering all the basic needs, we present you this guide to eat well on a low budget.
How should I plan my shopping list on a low budget?
Conscientiously planning our shopping list is going to be the first step that we must complete in order to be able to eat a proper diet with little money .
It is common that in our traditional shopping list, we are used to allocating more money than necessary, looking for more variety. To show you that it shouldn’t be this way, we offer you this low-budget, yet diverse and attractive alternative shopping list:
1. Fruits
- Bananas
- Apples
- Frozen strawberries.
- Oranges
2. Vegetables and greens
- Organic carrots.
- Onions in bag.
- Cabbage.
- Broccoli.
- Mix of frozen vegetables.
3. Meat and fish
- Cod fillets.
- Cut dark meat chicken.
- Chicken pieces to be roasted.
- Ground or minced meat.
4. Dairy and eggs
- Quality Aged Cheeses: Although expensive, these cheeses last longer in the fridge and have many more uses.
- Greek yogurt.
- Eggs: never per unit, always per dozen or more.
5. Starches
- Potatoes: Always inexpensive, and easy to store in quantity.
- Rice: Coarse rice is usually cheaper than what they sell already packaged.
- Pasta.
- Ramen noodles : ideal to complement any soup.
6. Fats
- Peanut butter: very healthy as a source of calories and very versatile.
- Olive oil in small quantities.
- Avocados: Best in harvest season. It has the advantage of being able to be used after maturing.
In fact, many of the things already listed, such as meats and eggs, provide you with more than sufficient levels of fat.
Other factors that you should not forget are spices, lemon juice or complete salts: all of them mix well with almost any dish, and provide benefits and variety wherever you use them.
How to lose or gain weight with little money?
If your goals go beyond survival, and what you also want is to adapt your diet to your training routine without spending a lot of money , you will be surprised to know how easy it is.
Eating well and losing or gaining weight is simple, even if you only have the foods that we have indicated. Only a series of adjustments are required:
1. Lose weight
You would need to increase spending on vegetables while reducing starches or pasta. This will keep you energetic, and reduce your weight by getting rid of carbohydrates. On the other hand, if you’re on a low-budget diet like this, foods like cabbage will keep you full, without the need for potatoes or pasta.
You can start by choosing between 3 and 4 vegetables and combining them with 1 or 2 starches at the most.
2. Gain weight
Adding some bread to the list can be a useful option. Some peanut butter sandwiches are an economical and balanced option to gain calories and keep you energetic.
One last piece of advice is don’t overdo it: whatever the reason you want to start a low-budget diet, doing so is not easy at all. The best thing is that you have a regular treat with which to treat yourself occasionally. This will help you not to waver, and to stay in an acceptable price range.
Conclution
As we approach jobs with increasingly flexible budgets, we tend to forget the lessons that sobriety and self-control bring us.
That is why it is important that when entering a low-budget diet, we do so with the awareness that we will take advantage of the experience to know our real needs.
It is not about becoming your own executioner, but about understanding how your body works and giving it exactly what it needs. In the long run, your body and your pocket will appreciate it, and you will learn to see much of what once attracted you, as if it were a simple luxury.
Reference
- Marc Halpern. The Minimalist’s Guide to Eating Well on a Budget. For Breaking Muscle. [Revised April 2016]
